An Extra Special Toast To All Moms This Year

In case you have been in a tequila induced coma this week, consider this your reminder, Sunday is Mother’s Day. This Mother’s Day, mom’s everywhere really deserve to be spoiled. It’s been a year. Mom’s really are the heroes, especially moms with small children and school aged children. Moms were stuck at home for a long time. Moms were teachers, nurses, cooks, cleaners, entertainers, therapists, coaches, organizers, IT professionals, etc. many times all while juggling their own careers, and putting their own physical and mental health needs aside. So the very first thing you need to do on Sunday is give her a big hug, look her in the eyes and acknowledge all the sacrifices she made over the past year. Trust us, this is big. This will earn you points. And because this was a tough year financially for many of us, this might be the greatest gift you give her. IF this is all you can afford to give her, then grab the kids and take them out of the house for the next few hours because the next best thing you can give her, is some alone time.

If gift giving is in your budget, then here is a list of ideas we put together to help you out.

1.      If your mom is a cocktail lover like we are, she needs a set of Fortessa glassware — if she doesn’t have one already. One of our favorites is the Jupiter collection because of the beautiful beaded detailing and variety of colors that brighten up every table setting while entertaining. Instead of a traditional clear color, for Mother’s Day we recommend going for the pink or purple to add a pop of color for the spring and summer. These glasses bring an elegant look to any occasion and will be sure to last her a long time.   

2.      If you are buying beautiful new glassware, she is going to need something to fill it with. With 8 different cocktails to choose from, you know your mom would love some Crafthouse. There is a drink for everyone (if she is up for sharing!). With all-natural ingredients and real spirits, all she has to do is pour over ice and add a garnish.

3.      The best part about hosting friends and family is obviously the food and drinks. It’s always fun to spice it up in the kitchen and test out new recipes when entertaining. The Half-Baked Harvest cookbook has a huge variety of recipes from dinner to desserts and of course cocktails! With over 125 recipes there is plenty to choose from and most of them are for 6-8 people making it perfect for when you have dinner guests. 

4.      If your mom is not one who loves to spend her day in the kitchen preparing food for parties then we have a solution for that too! Board and Bread Charcuterie is a great way to give mom a break from cooking and just enjoy her company. Their beautiful boards are full of delicious meats and cheeses making it an ideal hors d’oeuvres with cocktails or a light meal for a Mother’s Day brunch. The biggest perk about this gift is that there is little to no clean up after you have enjoyed it, which means more time spent with mom.

5.      This year has been a tough one, and while 2020 is in the past it still seems like no one can catch a break. Most husbands and kids are continuing to work from home and drive mom crazy, so if anyone deserves a vacation it’s her, and what better way to do that then to really knock her socks off then to go on a Virgin Voyages luxury cruise. With destinations from the Caribbean all the way to Europe you can go almost anywhere she wishes and all their cruises are KID FREE! If that isn’t enticing enough Virgin Voyages has also extended their deal that if you book now, you could save 10% off all sailings. Give mom the vacation she has been waiting for, and if you’re lucky enough she may let you tag along with her.

6.      If a luxury cruise is not in the budget, then there’s nothing a little ice cream can’t fix. Jeni’s Ice Cream has created an entire collection just for Mother’s Day, and each collection is full of deliciously unique flavors.

7.      Some moms, have more of a sweet tooth for candy so sending her Sugarwish where she can pick and choose all of her favorites. This is a good option for when you aren’t able to be with mom this Mother’s Day but want to show her you appreciate everything, she does for you.

8.      Unfortunately, it’s still important to wear a mask. Most people are sick of wearing them, but it could be nice to change up the rotation and add a new one to mom’s selection. Something Navy is currently selling whimsical, embroidered masks with sayings like “hey mama” and “girl mom” and they’re the perfect little accessory for her. Each mask is cotton denim and they couldn’t be cuter!

9.      You can almost never go wrong with buying mom jewelry, and Arm Candy has so many amazing options. The collection of gold and silver bracelets they have to choose from are endless, mixing and matching them to create a stack is always fun. These bracelets are easy to find elsewhere, but if you buy from Arm Candy you are supporting one mom and her small business while finding a gift for another! 

10. Beauty mogul Bobbi Brown sold her namesake company years ago but she’s back with a simplified, clean, no-frills cosmetics company, Jones Road. This line of multi-tasking products is packed with good for you ingredients that simplify your beauty routine and give you a fresh face in under five minutes, exactly what all moms are looking for in their post-pandemic life. In addition, through the nonprofit Support Creatives, Bobbi has mentored and supported make-up artists around the world during the COVID crisis, so you can feel great about looking good.

Work Hard, Family Hard

This liquor supplier thing is a tough business. There are people who make it look easy, but for most of us it is a daily grind until you reach a high level of success, and then it’s still hard. I’m not saying I don’t love it because I do. I bring this up because this job often requires a lot of travel to make sure we are operating as effectively as possible and maintaining and building relationships is all a part of the business. Right now, I am traveling as safely as possible in Georgia, checking on some of our amazing partners and working with our distributor to secure additional placements in both retail stores and locations where Crafthouse offers the option of a perfectly balanced and high quality quick cocktail while offering low touch and consistency, for resorts and movie theaters.

This trip is extra special to me because I was able to bring my family along. Balancing work life and family life has never been easy but this trip to Georgia has been the perfect balance of both. We started in Atlanta where my wife Kathy got to spend quality time with her childhood friend and the kids went to see some great local highlights, including the aquarium, while I worked the market. We came back together as a family and got to spend time together in the evenings. After leaving Atlanta, we stopped at a lake to cool off, go waterskiing and tubing. That night we stayed at a Springhill Suites by Marriott who carry Crafthouse in their Marketplace. It was great to talk to the staff at the Marriott and see firsthand the success they were having with Crafthouse. I even got to talk to a few guests of the hotel who had purchased and enjoyed a few of our cocktails.

We are currently at Sea Island Resort – a Five Star hotel that serves Crafthouse at the beach, in-room, on the golf course and potentially banquets when they resume. This has been a real highlight. As a family we have been able to watch baby sea turtles make their way from the nest to the ocean under our protective eyes, gone fishing where we caught some Spanish Mackerel that we had for lunch( and managed to hook a few sharks in the process), and spent countless hours at the pool and body boarding in the ocean. All this fun was perfectly intertwined with me doing a full Sea Island staff training, having a meeting with the resort’s Beverage Director and talking to the servers at the beach on a one on one.

Like most parents, I enjoy having my kids think I’m “cool,” and this vacation did just that. Not only were we able to travel around the beautiful state of Georgia and stay at a gorgeous resort, these last few days I was a bit of a “celebrity.” Having so many staff come up and introduce themselves to me, letting me know how much they appreciate me being there and how much their guests love Crafthouse, certainly put me on the kid’s cool list, even if it’s only temporary.

Anyway, this post wasn’t meant to boast or complain. It was meant to outwardly express my gratitude for those times where I can really appreciate quality time spent with my work and family. I hope it can happen again soon!

Matt